Despite missing an important deadline this week, a California legislator seeking to change the state-regulated price of milk used in cheese making pledged Friday to carry on the fight.

"This is something that is a very high priority for me. We are determined to get this done," said Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento.

The issue is important in San Joaquin County, where milk is the most valuable farm commodity, worth an estimated $453 million in 2011, according to the latest estimates available from the Agricultural Commissioner's Office.

Pan supports dairy farmers' claims that the state's current pricing scheme severely undervalues milk used for cheese, especially compared to the rest of the country, where a federal price system holds sway.

While prices have been on the rise recently, the cost of corn and other animal feeds has been rising faster, keeping many milk producers in the red.

However, his legislation, Assembly Bill 31, failed to get out of the Assembly this week. It is still an active bill, but now a two-thirds vote, instead of a simple majority, is needed to send it to the state Senate.

That is entirely possible, Pan insisted.

"There is interest by many legislators on both sides of the aisle to see a solution," he said. "They don't want to see, and I don't want to see, the demise of the dairy industry here in California."

The bill initially drew opposition from California cheese makers and some other dairy industry interests, who successfully got much of AB31's original language removed.

Pan said he's working with all sides of the issue to try to find a compromise.

"What we need to do is have all of the stakeholders at the table talking to each other. That's where we are now," he said.

Michael Marsh, chief executive of Western United Dairymen, which represents farmers' interests, is one of those.

"We're happy to work with Dr. Pan, and we appreciate his ongoing concern for the dairy families of California, who continue to struggle with an unfair pricing structure for milk going into cheese making," he said.